David M. Alba

Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont

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Salvador Moyà‐Solà

Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont

Isaac Casanovas‐Vilar

Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont

Josep M. Robles

Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont

Sergio Almécija

American Museum of Natural History

Joan Madurell‐Malapeira

Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

Jordi Galindo

Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont

Daniel DeMiguel

Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont

Josep Fortuny

Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont

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Àngel H. Luján

Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

Meike Köhler

Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont

Cooperative Institutions

Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont

Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas

Universitat de Barcelona

Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique

Universidad Complutense de Madrid

Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales

American Museum of Natural History

Universitat de València

Sapienza University of Rome

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First record ofLatonia gigantea(Anura, Alytidae) from the Iberian Peninsula

Historical Biology (2017)

Andrea Villa Massimo Delfino Àngel H. Luján Sergio Almécija David M. Alba

The single extant species of the anuran genus Latonia lives in Israel, but in the fossil record the genus is known mainly from Europe, spanning from the Oligocene to the early Pleistocene. Here we describe new remains of Latonia from the early to late Miocene of the Vallès-Penedès Basin (NE Iberian Peninsula), coming from the following localities: Sant Mamet (MN4), Sant Quirze and Trinxera del Ferrocarril (MN7+8), and Castell de Barberà, Can Poncic 1 and Can Llobateres 1 (MN9). Fossils from the late Aragonian and early Vallesian are attributed to Latonia gigantea mainly because of the morphology of the ornamentation that covers the maxillae. In turn, an ilium from Sant Mamet is not diagnostic at the specific level and is assigned only to the genus Latonia. The newly reported remains represent the first record of L. gigantea in the Iberian Peninsula, where Latonia was previously known by a single report of Latonia cf. ragei from Navarrete del Río (MN2) and remains from other localities unassigned to species. Moreover, the Vallès-Penedès remains represent one of the southernmost records of the species known thus far. The presence of Latonia in these localities confirms the humid and warm environment suggested by the recorded mammal fauna.

Peninsula

Gigantea

Early Pleistocene

Fossil Record

Paleoecology

10.1080/08912963.2017.1371712

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Citations (14)

Comparative anatomy of the carotid canal in the Miocene small-bodied catarrhine Pliobates cataloniae

Journal of Human Evolution (2021)

Florian Bouchet Alessandro Urciuoli Amélie Beaudet Marta Pina Salvador Moyà‐Solà

Synapomorphy

Morphology

Hylobates

10.1016/j.jhevol.2021.103073

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Citations (4)

The last Plio-Pleistocene hipparions of Western Eurasia. A review with remarks on their taxonomy, paleobiogeography and evolution

Quaternary Science Reviews (2023)

Omar Cirilli Luca Pandolfi David M. Alba Joan Madurell‐Malapeira Maia Bukhsianidze

Plio-Pleistocene

Peninsula

Early Pleistocene

Chronology

Biochronology

10.1016/j.quascirev.2023.107976

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Citations (7)

Rodents and insectivores from the hominoid-bearing site of Can Feu (Vallès-Penedès Basin, Catalonia, Spain)

Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology (2012)

Isaac Casanovas‐Vilar Marc Furió David M. Alba Salvador Moyà‐Solà Josep Manel Méndez

Click to increase image sizeClick to decrease image size ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación supported this study by means of projects CGL210-21672/BTE, CGL2008-00325/BTE, and contracts JCI-2010-08241 to I.C.-V. and RYC-2009-04533 to D.M.A. The AGAUR (Generalitat de Catalunya) further supported this research through the Grup de Recerca Consolidat 2009 SGR 754. We acknowledge the comments and suggestions by the editors and two anonymous reviewers that surely improved our work. Handling editor: Robert Asher

Insectivore

10.1080/02724634.2012.633948

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Citations (7)

Latest Early Pleistocene wolf-like canids from the Iberian Peninsula

Quaternary Science Reviews (2017)

Saverio Bartolini Lucenti David M. Alba Lorenzo Rook Salvador Moyà‐Solà Joan Madurell‐Malapeira

Early Pleistocene

Peninsula

10.1016/j.quascirev.2017.02.023

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Citations (31)

A new pliopithecid genus (primates: pliopithecoidea) from castell de barberà (vallès‐penedès basin, catalonia, spain)

American Journal of Physical Anthropology (2011)

David M. Alba Salvador Moyà‐Solà

Abstract Barberapithecus huerzeleri gen. et sp. nov. (Primates, Pliopithecidae) is erected on the basis of material from Castell de Barberà (Middle to Late Miocene, ca. 11.2–10.5 Ma), in the Vallès‐Penedès Basin (Catalonia, Spain), including: 15 teeth (representing most of the permanent dentition) from a single female individual (holotype); an isolated P/3 (paratype); and a male C1/ (referred to the hypodigm). Previously, this material had been only partially figured and described, being attributed to Pliopithecus or to a new taxon with possible crouzeliine affinities. The erection of a new genus is justified by several autapomorphic features, such as markedly buccolingually compressed and mesiodistally elongated C1/, extremely buccolingually compressed, and mesiodistally oriented C/1 main cusp, P/4 with a large trigonid subequal to the talonid, very large distal foveae on the M/1 and especially the M/2, and lower molars with a quadrangular central fovea and a mesially situated entoconid. These features are associated with a set of crouzeliine synapomorphies, such as buccolingually compressed and peripheralized cusps, well‐developed crests, large and well‐defined occlusal foveae, upper molars with long preprotocrista, short hypoparacrista, somewhat distally situated protocone and short distal fovea, distinct P/3 metaconid, well‐developed P/4 premetacristid, and relatively narrow lower molars with a reduced entoconid. Although more primitive, Barberapithecus resembles Anapithecus in some derived features. Both taxa are included into a new tribe (Anapithecini), together with other crouzeliines except Plesiopliopithecus (tribe Crouzeliini). The retention of primitive, pliopithecine‐like features in Barberapithecus suggests that anapithecins might have evolved from a Pliopithecus ancestor, so that as currently conceived the Crouzeliinae might be polyphyletic. Am J Phys Anthropol 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Synapomorphy

Autapomorphy

Tribe

Paratype

10.1002/ajpa.21630

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Citations (30)

Revision of Varanus marathonensis (Squamata, Varanidae) based on historical and new material: morphology, systematics, and paleobiogeography of the European monitor lizards

PLoS ONE (2018)

Andrea Villa Juan Abellá David M. Alba Sergio Almécija Arnau Bolet

Monitor lizards (genus Varanus) inhabited Europe at least from the early Miocene to the Pleistocene. Their fossil record is limited to about 40 localities that have provided mostly isolated vertebrae. Due to the poor diagnostic value of these fossils, it was recently claimed that all the European species described prior to the 21st century are not taxonomically valid and a new species, Varanus amnhophilis, was erected on the basis of fragmentary material including cranial elements, from the late Miocene of Samos (Greece). We re-examined the type material of Varanus marathonensis Weithofer, 1888, based on material from the late Miocene of Pikermi (Greece), and concluded that it is a valid, diagnosable species. Previously unpublished Iberian material from the Aragonian (middle Miocene) of Abocador de Can Mata (Vallès-Penedès Basin, Barcelona) and the Vallesian (late Miocene) of Batallones (Madrid Basin) is clearly referable to the same species on a morphological basis, further enabling to provide an emended diagnosis for this species. Varanus amnhophilis appears to be a junior subjective synonym of V. marathonensis. On the basis of the most complete fossil Varanus skeleton ever described, it has been possible to further resolve the internal phylogeny of this genus by cladistically analyzing 80 taxa coded for 495 morphological and 5729 molecular characters. Varanus marathonensis was a large-sized species distributed at relatively low latitudes in both southwestern and southeastern Europe from at least MN7+8 to MN12. Our cladistic analysis nests V. marathonensis into an eastern clade of Varanus instead of the African clade comprising Varanus griseus, to which it had been related in the past. At least two different Varanus lineages were present in Europe during the Neogene, represented by Varanus mokrensis (early Miocene) and V. marathonensis (middle to late Miocene), respectively.

10.1371/journal.pone.0207719

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Citations (40)

The Never-Ending Problem of Miocene Beaver Taxonomy

Acta Palaeontologica Polonica (2010)

Isaac Casanovas‐Vilar David M. Alba

The finds of Miocene beavers are not rare at all.Nevertheless, in most localities these rodents are only represented by a few dental elements, so that large collections are only occasionally available to researchers.Hence, the description of sufficiently large samples, such as the recently published description of Steneofiber depereti from Hambach 6C (NW Germany, MN5) by Mörs and Stefen (2010), deserves the greatest attention.After a comprehensive description and comparison of the material, these authors conclude that previous citations of the beaver Chalicomys jaegeri from the MN4 to MN6 (early to middle Miocene) are misidentifications of the genus Steneofiber.Following Stefen (2009), these authors further question the validity of all the known Chalicomys species from the later middle Miocene (MN7+8).We agree with these authors that the occurrence of C. jaegeri in the middle Miocene is doubtful, but we disagree with their arguments for the synonymization of several species.Here we address this point and discuss the taxonomic criteria for distinguishing both genera, further reviewing the taxonomy of the genus Chalicomys at the species level.

10.4202/app.2010.0051

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Citations (13)

Taxonomy and paleobiology of the genusChalicomysKaup, 1832 (Rodentia, Castoridae), with the description of a new species from Abocador De Can Mata (Vallès-Penedès Basin, Catalonia, Spain)

Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology (2008)

Isaac Casanovas‐Vilar David M. Alba Sergio Almécija Josep M. Robles Jordi Galindo

ABSTRACT The first castorid remains from the area of els Hostalets de Pierola (l'Anoia, Catalonia, Spain), in the Vallès-Penedès Basin, are described in this article. These fossil remains from Abocador de Can Mata (ACM), including a nearly complete hemimandible, two maxillary fragments, and several isolated teeth from locality C4-C2 (Late Aragonian, MN7+8), as well as an almost complete femur from the similarly-aged locality C3-Ak, are attributed to the genus Chalicomys (= Palaeomys). Taxonomic and nomenclatural issues regarding this genus are discussed. An emended diagnosis of this genus is provided, and a new species, Chalicomys batalleri sp. nov., is described on the basis of the ACM/C4-C2 specimens. The femur from ACM/C3-Ak is also tentatively included within the hypodigm of the newly erected species. Paleobiological inferences on the locomotor repertoire of Chalicomys are made on the basis of femoral anatomy. It is concluded that, like living Castor, these extinct beavers were efficient swimmers, highly committed to aquatic locomotion, which propelled mainly by means of hind feet paddling. The presence of an extinct beaver with Castor-like aquatic adaptations in this area, together with the sedimentological evidence, suggests more humid conditions than previously thought, at least for a restricted to a short time interval, given the rarity of castorid remains elsewhere in the ACM stratigraphic series.

10.1671/0272-4634(2008)28[851:tapotg]2.0.co;2

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Citations (19)

Late Miocene remains from Venta del Moro (Iberian Peninsula) provide further insights on the dispersal of crocodiles across the late Miocene Tethys

Journal of Paleontology (2020)

Massimo Delfino Àngel H. Luján Juan Abellá David M. Alba Madelaine Böhme

Abstract The dispersal of Crocodylus from Africa to Europe during the Miocene is not well understood. A small collection of cranial fragments and postcranial elements from the latest Miocene (6.2 Ma) site of Venta del Moro (Valencia, Spain) have previously been referred to Crocodylus cf. C. checchiai Maccagno, 1947 without accompanying descriptions. Here we describe and figure for the first time the crocodylian remains from Venta del Moro, which represent at least two individuals. Our comparisons indicate that this material clearly does not belong to Diplocynodon or Tomistoma —the only two other crocodylians described so far for the European late Miocene. The material is only tentatively referred to cf. Crocodylus sp. because the apomorphies of this genus are not preserved and a referral to C. checchiai cannot be supported on a morphological basis. However, it is likely that this late Miocene species, originally described from Libya (As Sahabi) and later identified also in Kenya, could have dispersed across the Mediterranean Basin multiple times and colonized the southern areas of Mediterranean Europe, as evidenced by several Crocodylus or Crocodylus -like remains described during the past years.

Crocodylus

Postcrania

Peninsula

10.1017/jpa.2020.62

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Citations (5)